At 40 years old, Rodrigo Massa, marathon runner and accountant
It all started in 2015, when he noticed that his health was not going well, he sought out a cardiologist and made a choice.
According to the doctor, with the situation he found himself in at the age of 33, the prediction was for a short life if there were no changes in his habits. As a result, he abandoned his sedentary lifestyle, controlled his diet and stopped smoking, adopting a new routine.
After the transformation, there was a reduction of 40 kilos. Over time, walks evolved into gentle runs, awakening a taste for running and, from that moment on, the bad habits of the past were left behind , giving way to the best habit of your life, which is running.
In 2019, he had the opportunity to experience the feeling of running in the land of champions, the city of Iten , located in Kenya. In this place, he learned the importance of discipline in sport, a lesson that extended to other aspects of his life. He adopted a healthy diet, carried out intense training and ensured adequate rest. In November 2021, he decided to take on the challenge of 42.195 meters in a marathon, a goal that became reality in Rio de Janeiro. Despite not reaching the desired time, he completed the race in 4 hours and 39 minutes, dealing with intense pain and cramps. After crossing the finish line, he committed to training even harder so that he could reach a better mark the following year.
At the end of 2022, he managed to complete the Buenos Aires marathon in 3h40, it was an incredible experience. From then on, he continued to challenge himself and, in June 2023, he finished the Porto Alegre marathon in 3h18, with a lot of determination and focus on his goal, he won a direct place in the Chicago marathon in 2024. Furthermore, in September 2023, realized his dream of participating in one of the 6 biggest marathons in the world, the Berlin Marathon. “It was an unforgettable achievement”
“Currently, my goal is to compete once a year in the main marathons until 2028, including Chicago, Tokyo, London, New York and the Boston Marathon, which I have always dreamed of completing, in addition to aiming to run the 42K in less than 3 hours.
However, first and foremost, I have the goal of the Olympic Marathon in Paris 2024. I sincerely believe that there is a greater purpose that put me among those selected to compete in these Olympic Games, it is something really special. For the first time in modern history, the Olympics will include amateur athletes in its venues simultaneously with the multi-sport games.”
Instagram profile: @run_massa